From walks in the rain to waiting for the train in the snow, there’s beauty to be found in even the most ordinary, everyday moments. San Francisco-based illustrator Pascal Campion captures these moments, celebrating the joy of simply being alive. Each digital illustration is like a snapshot of a precious memory with loved ones, pets, or simply a tranquil moment of solitude.

Although Campion’s distinct style appears textured and painterly, his illustrations are in fact rendered using an iPad and the Procreate app. The talented artist starts each piece by first digitally sketching out a rough composition, complete with any figurative subjects. Campion explains, “My characters are always part of the landscape so I see them as integral part of the structure.” He then works on creating the lighting within the composition—many moody nighttime scenes are lit from street lamps or the glow from a window, while daytime scenes are warm and vibrant. “Then I start painting from the back to the front and I think very much as if I was building a house,” reveals Campion. “I start with the ground, the walls and build up from there.”

Campion’s use of color allows him to perfectly capture the mood of the moments he depicts. In one piece, titled A day at the park, the artist shows how three different color palettes can transform the narrative of the same scene. The first image, rendered in dark purple hues, suggests a quiet summer night, while the second image is warmly lit in sunrise hues, allowing the viewer to imagine the same scene at dawn. The third image depicts an entirely different time of day again—the park’s trees and grass are colored in hues of vibrant green, suggesting a beautiful sunny afternoon.